What 2nd Birthdays Are Made of...

Well they usually start with a...
 Super Deluxe Birthday Breakfast

Complete with Belgium Waffles, Crisp Bacon (thanks Daddy), and Mommy's Famous Apple Granola Crisp... Oh how Ethan loves each one so much! We could not decide on which to make for him, so why not both:) Big Brother revealed in the Deluxe Breakfast glory too.

Such a Silly Big Brother!

Homemade Love

Being that Ethan is only two, a huge deal was not made over the experience (um, really meaning, stressful planned out party, not yet needed:) but being the crafty mama that I am, had to throw a few homemades in there. I whipped up this "2" shirt the night before. Used a fabric I had found on sale at Joann's a while back(Ethan loves fishes), heat'n bonded the back, traced on the "2", cut out, then ironed to shirt, and ran a stitch around with my sewing machine. End result... fast & super cute!

That night I also used scrapbook material to make a "Happy Birthday" banner. Traced 13 circles with a plastic lid & cut out. Then printed (made in Word Perfect), traced & cut out "Happy Birthday", glued the cut out letters to my circles. I then cut small strips to attach the circles, glued in a slightly draping manner, next time I would use brads, instead of gluing the strips. Then pushed a hole in each end, ran ribbon through and hung! Again, fast & super cute!

Special Birthday Cards from Great Grandmothers

As a child my Grandmother always sent me & my siblings birthday cards with a Savings Bond Certificate, & she has now carried the tradition on with my children. I think it's great & as a child I may not have appreciated it as much as I did later on, so thanks Grandma, we really do appreciate the wonderful gift! P.S. Ethan loved your card but thought it needed his signature too:)

Naptime with Daddy

A birthday is just complete without a little naptime with Daddy, while Mommy is decorating the cake! My husband the cuddler, even when Orion was a baby he would cuddle right along side Kenneth. Don't get me wrong I cuddle with my kids, but it's more when they are sick or hurt, you know when Mommy is needed most. But Daddy gets the TV couch cuddle time, the sit in my lap & share my dinner cuddle time, & the naptime cuddle. It is a special skill his has fine tuned, he's says, "I just make 'em cuddle! I scoop 'em up & hold'em tight & they cuddle." All this said with a huge smile on his face. To tell you the truth, it puts quite a smile on my face too:)

Tickle Time

Once up from their lounge chair window nap, the boys got in some much needed giggly tickle time!

Park Play

When I finally finished getting the cake decorated, we all got dressed & headed to one of our favorite parks for a little park play! Not really thinking about how everyone around here has been cooped up in their houses for the past couple of weeks. Just that the day was beautifully warm, sunny, & snow-free, though the ground, a little soggy due to all the melting snow & a bit of rain. But just beautiful, so needless to say we were not the only ones who had the brilliant idea of going to the park. Though it was busy we still had a great time.

Big Two Year Old

Swing Sway

Bench Monday Outtakes

Birthday Bench Shot Winner

You can read about this story here.

Family Foto Fun!!

(Or 'The Other Half of Bench Monday':)

I haven't taken a family photo of us since.................. um, wait I know! When it snowed a few weeks ago I took a half hearted one you can revisit half way down in this post. But really it's been a while! Say cheese!

This shot has to be one of my favorites from the day, nothing like...

Giggles with Daddy

Wait for It...

There it Is!

Terrible two's in full effect:) This has to be one of favorites from the day too. He has been showing quite a bit of this side lately. From his tone when demanding asking for things, to his frustration patience level (or lack there of) when unable to accomplish a task, to little tantrums like when it's time to brush his teeth or get in the bed. But hubby & I are well stocked with lots of time outs & patience. Speaking of patience, we have also started a light bit of potty training & boy oh boy this one is going to take some patience. I'm trying to break him of the fear, the fear Orion for some reason never had, the fear that is the potty. Though it has gotten better, he screams and howls when put on the toilet. But I've learned if I just let him get acclimated to what is going on he will usually calm down & sit there for a bit. Nothing has really evolved from these sessions (meaning #1 & #2), but in my mind it's great practice for the future!

Birthday C-Culls!

Remember my Wordless Wednesday post, while here's the story behind it.

We had already decided earlier that day to take Ethan to Big Lots on the way home to purchase a small birthday gift. After a quick side trip to Starbucks... coffees & chocolate milk, yum... we were off! Well let me just say that the park was, 'a walk in the park', compared to Big Lots. Everyone converged on The Lot at once, we couldn't even get a cart at first. Orion & I scoped the parking lot & found a woman unloading hers. Once finished Orion happily ran & retrieved it from her.

So once again, we were off, this time to scope out the toy isle. In the end we settled on a new plastic bat & ball (will make an appearance at the end of this post:) & an inside foam ball. Off to the checkout line we go, because at this point, the birthday boy had had it! And the long looming checkout line was all too much for any of us to bare. So I scooped the birthday boy out of the cart & outside we went, Orion & Daddy stayed to checkout. I had every intention of just putting him in his seat & waiting it out in the car. But once outside, my eyes caught the beautifully colored sky, the air was still quite warm, & there were sea gulls, parking lot sea gulls, but sea gulls no less.

 Not really thinking twice about it I grabbed my camera, some pretty old & stale goldfish from the bag, & started throwing them out in handfuls to draw the gulls in. At first I held Ethan & let him throw a few down on the ground. He was saying, "Bird! Bird!" I said, "You're right, Bird! Sea Gulls!" After that it was all I could do to contain my laughter & keep shooting as he ran around the empty end of the parking lot throwing goldfish & screaming, "C-Culls! Mommy look, C-Culls!" He never really got all that close has they usually came in behind him after he'd thrown the food & then ran in the other direction trying to catch them. It was an excellent ending to our birthday outing.

And as my hubby says, "Yes! That is STILL snow in the background!"

Kisses from Mommie

Once home I realized that I had not taken a photo alone with the birthday boy yet! So Daddy happily volunteered to get his hands on Mommies new camera (yes I am all too selfish with it:) A 2nd birthday is just NOT complete without tickles & kisses from your Mommie! 

Giraffe Cake & Number Candles

So yet again, as much as I say, "I hate making cakes!", I find myself sucked in each time! Last year I made him a Baby Einstein Caterpillar Cake, you can see a photo here, 6th mosaic down. For his 2nd birthday I decided to make him a Giraffe Cake in honor of "G", Giraffe-y, his tag along buddy. Yeah that's him in the Naptime with Daddy photos:) Ken & I purchased that little guy at a restaurant we were dining in, on our 5th wedding anniversary in Virginia Beach, Ethan was 6 months at the time. Now 18 months later, Giraffe-y has been well received and loved. And so was this cake, as you will soon see:)

But first, you have to sing, "Happy Birthday"! The birthday boy just loved this, well not the waiting part, that cake most have looked really good to him! Got the candle all lit & we started singing... he just stopped, paused a moment, looked at each of our faces, & then just started busting out giggling! Giggle, giggle, giggle through the whole song, it was entirely too sweet.

Every year I purchase my kids a new number candle, guess I've just made it a tradition, one I for some reason really enjoy. Well Ethan was not really all that interested in blowing the candle out after we sang, so I helped him out with that one, he instead wanted to grab the cake.

My Baby is...

Oh wait... you want cake smeared faces, not sentimental sappy Mommy moments...

Right, coming up!

 

Finger-Lickin' Good!

Right after these two photos were taken follows a funny little story for you... right before we did cake I asked my hubby to grab the video camera. His response, "Oh do I have to fool with that?" My reply, " How many times is he going to turn 2, please?" Video camera was gotten, film is rolling, Mommy is in a mad cake photo taking craze! Only to find that her elbow has been placed in something quite soft & sticky... oh that's right... the cake!

Too which my hubby quickly pans the camera back around to me & happily says, "Oh! This was so worth getting the camera out for!" Geez, Thanks sweetie, love you:) Needless to say we all had good laugh, I rolled my sleeve up & cake eating commenced!

Ethan ate so much, he found himself in a cake coma...

In this bottom left photo, he's pointing & saying, "CAKE!"

Here was his expression after too much cake on his 1st birthday... hehe!

After all that cake it's definitely time for some...

Maxin' & Relaxin'

And...

A Little Birthday Suit Wearin'

There's that new plastic bat! :)

The evening was topped off with...

Couch Cuddling & a Movie

(The Incredible Journey)

with Daddy & Orion

It was a wonderful day, can't you tell by how woren out he looks!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ethan!

Wordless Wednesday: Birthday C-Culls

Will explain this photo more when I finally get his birthday post up:) Until then...

Hop on over to Sunny Day Today Mama, Not So Average Mama, Look What Mom Found & Dad Too, Seven Clown Circus, 5 Minutes For Mom, & Run DMT to link up & share your Wordless Wednesday!

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Toy Story Tuesday: Photos Past

This week has been quite slow for Orion in the picture taking area,

so today is a hodgepodge of photos past:) Enjoy!

Pokemon Fanatic!

Lego Men on Ice

Lover of the Matchbox Car

What little brothers are made of...

Self-Portrait #2

He took this one yesterday.

Candid Camera

The last two are my favorites:) Hope everyone is having a great start to the week!

Let your little one be creative, and see what their imagination congers up! Display it proud for them, doesn't have to be photography, draw or paint a picture, shoot a video in a creative way, make a routine or compose a song! We can't wait to see what you come up with! Please grab our button from the top of the sidebar to display, go get creative with the kids and come back here to link up and share your own "Toy Story".

Happy Toy Story Tuesday!

Bench Monday - Sunday Edition: Happy Birthday

I pride myself on taking my BM shots on Monday, as most are not all too public, um... okay none are really public, I'm a homebody what can I say! But this week I just couldn't resist getting a Happy Birthday bench shot in yesterday for my son's second birthday. We had a wonderfully warm, sun-drenched, no. jacket. wearing. kind of day, filled with relaxation, park play, and cake eating!

This shot was taken while we were at the park, inside of the gazebo. I was really trying to get his "2" shirt I made him in the shot, but being as toddlers usually want to do the opposite of what you're asking... well you get the picture:>

This was the best out of 5 family shots. That's all I could get in before the toddler started wiggling around & screaming, my 7 year old starts begging to go play again & my hubby turns to me & whispers, "People are going to think we are crazy!" First Public Bench Monday Mission, accomplished in my book:) And I do love the end result!

Here are a couple of alternative shots:

Happy Birthday Ethan!

I love you baby!

And Happy Bench Monday

to everyone else!

Texture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/4208435608/in/set-72157603745560932/